Yearly Archives: 2009

Runes of Magic ‘Secret of the Goblin Mine’ Coming Soon

Frogster today announced that it will soon deliver new content for Runes of Magic, with the large patch, ‘Secret of the Goblin Mine.’ The update expands the Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) world with among other things, the ‘Goblin Mine,’ a new mini-game.  There is also a new weapon quest series being added to the game. The anticipated release date for ‘Secret of the Goblin Mine’ is July 28th.
 
The ‘Goblin Mine’ solo adventure sends the adventurer into a cave full of pesky green creatures, as well as some weird and wonderful elemental beings. Players have 30 minutes in which to perform three tasks inside the dungeon. They are allowed just one attempt per day to do this, and anyone who dies during the adventure, loses their chance for the day. Those who succeed, receive rare armor recipes and handcrafted objects from the treasure chests at the end of the dungeon. There are also two new titles to reward particularly diligent Goblin hunters, one of which being ‘Goblin Hero.’
 
Along with the ‘Secret of the Goblin Mine’ patch, an epic weapon quest series is also being implemented for all players. Tasks which demand everything from players and their companions are a part of the toughest quest series that Runes of Magic has to offer. But, the effort will be worth it. Players who manage to come out on top, battling against Taborea’s most challenging opponents, will find themselves rewarded with some legendary weapons at the end of their travels.  
 
Now, players in Runes of Magic have the chance to cultivate plants in their own homes. Seeds and pots of varying quality define the yield of the plants as they grow. So only those who regularly water and fertilize their crops will find they have a harvest in three to seven days.  If players neglect their plants, they’ll shrink after a few days. Once the plants have grown, players will see a reward for their labor. Together with ore and wood, there is even a rare blue handwork material which can be harvested.

Tribal Wars

 

Tribal Wars is a browser based MMO set in the early middle ages. Every player starts as a leader of a small village, striving for power and glory. Under your command the village grows. As production increases, trade flourishes.
Not only does your village grow but the others around you as well. All around you there are other villages that have the same goal, become powerful. Troops are recruited and villages fortified. Wild warriors pillage and plunder.
Over time you meet other players and become part of a tribe to help and support each other.
Slowly your village gets bigger and stronger as better units are created, and at some point, it becomes time to conquer other villages…

 

Bang! Howdy Review: Witty Western

By Rick Charbs (Jammart), OnRPG Journalist

Bang! Howdy is a free to play browser based MMORPG set in a western theme. Built with loads of humour in a witty atmosphere, this game is sure to please many. Released back in late 2006, Bang! Howdy still shows signs of growth and improvement and remains consistent in said elements. The game is fairly simple; it uses elements from RPG and from RTS (real time strategy) games, and combines them to create something fairly unique and fairly confusing. The game is set based on turns between you and your opponent, but various systems make it seem as though you are fighting real-time.

Of course, I won’t be getting into detail with this feature, although it is not that difficult to master. Each character has a set amount of moves available in a certain period of time, and thus turns don’t really exist in the game as much as one would think. This only means both sides can use up their turns simultaneously as the controlled characters are given set times separately rather than the opponents themselves. The learning curve is tiny-don’t worry about it (unless you are not familiar with tactical games… but that’s what the tutorials are for-and there are plenty)!

General Gameplay

Bang! Howdy can be played in a single player mode or in 1-4 player battle series that last roughly ten minutes each. The single player mode offers many different mission based challenges. You have to reach certain goals in order to move on to more difficult challenges. Currently, the game packs a huge variety of challenges within two towns: Frontier Town and the Indian Trading Post. They both offer different environments to play from, being either the western cowboy scene or the native tribal area. I’ll give you a quick rundown on four of the game modes in the Frontier Town.

Firstly, Gold Rush is a capture the flag type of game involving gold nuggets scattered through the map. Your goal is to capture as many possible until the time limit of the game ends. You have to pick them up and bring them back to your claim in order to keep them from thieves. If the gold nugget holder dies before reaching your claim, the assassin of your victimized character will gain that gold nugget for himself!

Another game mode, similar to Gold Rush, is Claim Jumping. The only difference between these two modes is that, in Claim Jumping, you begin with 3 pieces of gold in each players claim, and you have to fight to protect your three and steal from your opponents claim.

Cattle Rustling is a pretty unique game mode I must say! Your goal is to brand as many cows on the map before your time runs up. The catch is that only one type of character in your arsenal can brand them (the big shot character). Cows run away from you, making branding them quite difficult. Evidently, the player with the most branded cows wins.

Bang Howdy Combat

Land Grab is another game mode that heavily involves the big shot character. The goal in this game is simple: you have to destroy your opponent’s land claim and then protect your as well as your newly obtained land claim. This can be quite confusing if you play with three other people.

However, there is much more to Bang! Howdy than game modes. The game consists of a very elaborate ranking system based on how you play the game, a pretty varied customization for your character’s avatar, a medal/badge system to flaunt your accomplishments, the Back Parlor (a social chatting area),

Graphics and Sound

For a browser game, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised in terms of the graphics and sound in Bang! Howdy. The character model graphics are comparable to Runescape but in a more smooth style, and the concept art matches the game’s humorous theme excellently. The graphics are simple and thus the game runs very well on pretty much any machine. The sound is very subtle, but it adds to the atmosphere of the game. The background music is upbeat and entertaining whilst the game sounds are not too overdone and I never felt the need to mute them even if they got a little repetitive. Needless to say, this is one of the best browser based games in terms of graphics and sound; no doubt about it!

Personal Recommendation

Again, paying no real interest to strategy based games, I still have to credit a ton of respect to this browser based MMO. I am really surprised of how well it was made, and that I did not even know of its existence until a few weeks ago. Goes to show how their recent wave of advertisement has really made a difference!

The gameplay offered in the game is extremely simple and can be played in increments of 5-10 minutes at a time. Thus, the game is extremely casual and you can pick it up anytime as it is browser based (no download required ever, unless you decide you want to be able to access it right off your desktop). Bang! Howdy features a lot of content in a small package, something gamers with lower end computer or time restraints strive for. The game is completely free, too, but you are given the option to pay for premium items. This ensures that they get some revenue-the game definitely does not pay for itself. Thee Rings, developers of Bang! Howdy makes the billing process extremely simple.

Bang Howdy Shop

Unfortunately, the social aspect of the game is flawed and does need some work. The avatar customization is almost pointless as hardly anyone really gets a look at your avatar, the chatting system of the game is minimal, and there is no ability to trade with other players in the game. From a single player point of view though, I highly recommend the game. You can even play with three others without paying any attention to the rest of the social aspect of the game. Happy gaming!


Pros:
-Simple and unique
-Easily accessible
-Humorous
-Great concept art
-Lots of content for a browser based game
-Playable single player or multiplayer (1-4).

Cons:
-Social aspect needs work
-Small player base.

DDO Eberron Unlimited To Launch in August

Turbine, Inc. announced Dungeons & Dragons Online®:  Eberron Unlimited (DDO Unlimited), a free digital upgrade for Dungeons & Dragons Online®: Stormreach will launch on August 4, 2009 in North America. DDO Unlimited will raise the level cap, introduce a new player class and add major new content, as well as make the game free to play for everyone. The new DDO Unlimited delivers heart-pounding game play featuring the industry’s best combat system, a massive world with state-of-the-art graphics and gameplay, and a rich set of features that until now could only be found only in premium subscription-based MMOs.  DDO Unlimited will introduce an innovative new pricing model that allows players to download and play for free, purchasing adventure packs, items, and account services a la carte from the new DDO Store, or to subscribe to get unlimited access to all of the game’s content.  Turbine will provide DDO VIPs early access to the game to beginning August 4, 2009 and will provide free, unlimited access to everyone on August 6, 2009.
 
 
“The DDO Unlimited Beta has been a huge success and we want to thank all of our players who have participated to help us make this the best free-to-play game on the market,” said Fernando Paiz, Executive Producer of DDO Unlimited.  “On August 6th we are going to change what it means to be free-to-play with the most immersive, action-packed and full-featured MMO that provides players with a choice in how they play and pay for the game.”
DDO Unlimited delivers the best combat of any MMO and the most heart-pounding action this side of a keyboard, plus a lot more!
* Brand New Content & Features – DDO Unlimited will deliver a new class – favored soul, increase the level cap, introduce new adventure packs including a new 12-player raid, major combat improvements and more!
* The Fiercest Combat – DDO Unlimited features an extraordinary heart-pounding combat experience that requires players to fully engage in the battle by relying on their wits and reflexes in real time. No more clicking skills and watching the action from the sideline. 
* Mind-blowing Visuals – Explore a vast and dangerous online world that features the most advanced graphics in the industry and is stuffed with the legendary monsters, glorious treasures, devious traps, mind-bending puzzles and endless adventures from the world’s best known RPG.
* Full-featured MMO – Experience sophisticated systems found only in the best games including auctions, NPC hirelings, arena death matches (Player versus Player), lcrafting, and powerful social tools for finding a group, forming a guild or planning an epic raid!
* Easier Than Ever! – DDO Unlimited gets you playing in minutes instead of hours, using new proprietary Turbine technology. Creating a new character is incredibly simple with guides and templates that speed you through the process. Features an all-new new player experience that gives gamers their first taste of excitement quickly while teaching them how to play solo or with a group of fellow adventurers. 

Dungeons and Dragons

Astro Empires Launches New Layout

After months of preparation, fine-tuning and testing, we have finally launched our new game layout.
 
The new game layout is expected to attract many new players to the game and also to increase the number of user-made skins due to the wider versatility of this graphics pack. A Content Delivery Network (CDN) has also been implemented to make the graphics delivery faster worldwide.
Additionally, Astro Empires has gone multilingual with the addition of the Portuguese language, which is expected to be the first of many new languages being added to the game.
ABOUT ASTRO EMPIRES – Astro Empires is a Browser-Based Massively Multiplayer Online Game, in the genre of Space Strategy played on a Persist Universe. It was launched on the 20th of May 2006 and today has over 40.000 active players between 7 different universes.

Astro Empires

 

World Of Kung Fu: Guarding Pet System

Real world, game world, no matter where we are, friends are indispensable! Guarding Pet, who is capable and lively, will surely become player’s close friend in the coming version 1.0.53 of the popular MMORPG – World of Kung Fu. Various Guarding Pets are waiting for you!
Differ from current looting pets like “XII Sheng Xiao”, Guarding pets do not serve players by picking up loots. They have their own and even harder task: Fighting!
Moreover, as a real “pet”, it will be raised up all by players themselves. It appears as an egg at the very beginning. Only under player’s care and feed, it would be able to break out and grow up to a great fighter by side.
Guarding pets will also level up as a very character. They gain experience in battle as players do. In addition to special pet food, all kinds of gears can be used to feed them. The better the equipment is, the more experience the pet can get. Besides food, mood is an important fact too. Mood Value will affect Feed Point and the pet’s performance. A repeatable quest will also be set for players to collect items for improving their pets’ mood value.
A bright spot of Guarding Pet System is: players can unify two different pets into a stronger one. There will be two kinds of unifying: attribute unifying and talent unifying. The first way improves attributes of the guarding pet’s, while the second way improves talent of guarding pet’s in order to provide more additional attributes while leveling up. In this case, players can strengthen their pet into a better and unique one.
If you do not want to miss the Guarding Pets, please remember they will come up in version 1.0.53, which will be released in the end of this month.

IGG Adds New Title to Lineup

IGG Inc., currently the publisher of 12 great game titles, is proud to announce the launch of their next hit: Lords Online. This new strategic game was produced and designed under the IGG banner and is set to begin Europe & North American region Alpha testing in August.
Lords Online is an elaborate SLG game that is set in a medieval style land that is in constant conflict. It features administrative controls, alliance building and hero-nurturing systems blended with classic AD&D rules. Distinguishing itself from SLG games that have come before it, the combat in Lords Online enables players to be in command of a battle instead of placing their entire faith in the number of troops sent into battle. It also allows players to devise flexible strategies for different combat situations.
This game attaches a lot of importance to its challenging but fully controllable combat system that features realistically detailed graphics. All of this, combined with magic, immersive quests and a riveting storyline, is set to make this the most anticipated game release in August.
About IGG (I Got Games)
IGG is a fast rising digital interactive entertainment company, whose business is primarily focused on MMORPGs. As an interactive entertainment platform, IGG has created a massive userbase exceeding 8 million registered player accounts spread over 12 game titles. Their product portfolio is developed around storylines based in the fantasy, sci-fi, and warfare genres.

Starport: Galactic Empires

Starport: Galactic Empires is a competitive MMO game for Windows PCs. Your life in the Starport universe begins near Earth where you will be the captain of a new merchant vessel. By gaining funds and experience you can upgrade your ship and your standing as the game progresses. Haul valuable cargo and transport passengers through space to begin working your way up in the game world.
 
In Starport, greater reward means greater risk. You’ll need to equip your ship to handle it. During your progress, you’ll engage in combat with other players, planetary defense platforms, space-anchored gun turrets and other hostiles. From traditional projectile weapons and smart-missles to exotic energy weapons, you’ll have a good selection of firepower from which to choose.
You might choose to claim a world by starting a colony on it. Keep these colonies defended, keep the colonists who reside there happy, and they can become valuable strongholds.
 
Later, you might chose to roam the galaxy as a pirate and invade and take over the colonies of others. You might also choose to spend your warp fuel on exploration, where you might find powerful artifacts of alien technology or valuable information. In time, you could own a large empire of colonies and earn many experience points which will put you in the top of the rankings.